Last week, the excellent small-own drama, “Friday Night Lights,” capped off its five-season run with a poignant and uplifting series finale on DirecTV. As my wife and I bid a fond farewell to the residents of Dillon, Texas, I told her, “We haven’t seen the last of these people. Friday Night Lights will be the new Freaks and Geeks.”

I was referring to how “Freaks,” the short-lived teen series on NBC, proved to be a lanunching pad for an array of young actors who went on to have a significant impact on pop culture. Among them: Oscar nominee James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini. Likewise, I think the excellent young actors on “FNL” have an incredibly bright future ahead of them.

Just this week it was announced that Adrianne Palicki, who played Tyra in “FNL,” has been cast in the coveted role of Wonder Woman for a reboot of the famous 1970s series being produced by David E. Kelley. I love the choice. The statuesque Palicki proved she could be tough, yet tender and vulnerable, on “FNL.”

But she’s not the only one getting lots of attention. Minka Kelly, who last year was Esquire magazine’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” has been cast in a “Charlie’s Angels” TV remake and can be seen regularly in the NBC drama, “Parenthood.” Also popping up on the small screen recently are Zach Gilford (“Off the Map”), Scott Porter (“The Good Wife”), Matt Lauria (“The Chicago Code”) and Michael B. Jordan (“Parenthood”). I also expect good things from Taylor Kitsch, who, as the troubled Tim Riggins, became the bad-boy hunk of “FNL” — just as Franco was the bad boy of “Freaks.”

Their future success, of course, will depend greatly on the script choices they make and the creative vision of the collaborators they align themselves with (already, there has been some negative internet buzz surrounding a leaked version of Kelley’s “Wonder Woman” script). This is where the “Freaks” youngsters excelled. Of course, it helped to have a rising force like Judd Apatow in their corner.

But after being captivated by the “FNL” cast these past few years and watching them grow up on our screen, I know they are capable of greatness. Keep an eye on these kids!

Seth Rogen knows how to make us laugh, but don’t we want our superheroes just a little buff?

Also featured today: Leelee Sobieski clearly shows she’s all grown-up in her slinky black dress; Lea Michele keeps wowing us with her fashion choices on the red carpet; and Romi Dames attempts the corset look at the opening night of “West Side Story.” Do you think it works?

The best thing about having Conan O’Brien back on late-night TV — aside from the fact that he makes fans laugh like donkeys — is that he doesn’t have to worry about pleasing your parents.

No, those days are over. With his new TBS talk show, simply titled “Conan,” he finds himself in an intimate studio, on a channel that doesn’t exactly scream “high profile.” It’s a risk-free fresh start that brings no pressure to court the mainstream masses and/or folks who find it sadly impossible to wean themselves off the bland humor of Jay Leno.

That’s not to say all the venom spewed by Team Coco in the wake of O’Brien’s stormy NBC exile wasn’t justified. O’Brien waited patiently for his “dream job” and to be punk’d so rudely by NBC (and Leno) was cause for at least some minor agitation.

O’Brien, however, always has thrived in the role of underdog anarchist. That’s why “The Tonight Show,” in some ways, seemed like the wrong fit. Too traditional and bloated. Too unhip. By turning his NBC failure into a rousing comeback, O’Brien has, according to Rolling Stone, re-branded himself as an “indie icon.”

So it was good to see that our redheaded goofball was all loose and lively during his TBS debut Monday night on a small but stylish set with a seaside backdrop. Throughout a laugh-filled monologue, brief chats with guests Seth Rogen and Lea Michele and a manic jam session with Jack White, O’Brien seemed genuinely stoked to be back in his element.

But for all the promotional hype that preceded this triumphant revival, there weren’t many surprises. Longtime O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter was back behind the lectern and, thankfully, on the couch. There was a quick appearance by the Masturbating Bear. And laying down a snappy beat was a group of house musicians slyly dubbed the Basic Cable Band.

O’Brien even kept the beard that became so familiar during his rollicking summer tour. (Giants star Brian Wilson would be proud.) Tuesday night, an audience member requested a souvenir lock of the beard and the up-for-anything O’Brien obliged by tugging out a hair or two. It was tough to envision that happening on “The Tonight Show.”

O’Brien is at his offbeat best when he melds self-deprecating humor with video segments. Thus the week’s funniest bit was a Monday skit that recounted, with absurd exaggeration, his tumultuous year. It showed O’Brien being mowed down, Mafia style, by NBC goons and continued with failed stints as a party clown and Burger King worker. Almost as amusing was a Tuesday video that featured the outrageous sight of a man wearing fish-tank underwear (please don’t ask).